Automatic valve.



T. Nl. EYNON I J. V. SCHIVHD;k

AUTOMATIC VALVE.

. APPLICATION FILED APII.25. I9Is.

Patented May 9,1916.

WJTNESSES.- CIM @Maw ATN? FESR.

THOMAS M. '.EYNON AND JOHN V. SCI-IMII), OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA., ASSIGNORS TO THE EYNON-EVANS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May Q, igit.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that we, THOMAS M. EYNON and JOI-1N V. SCHMID, citizens of the United States, and residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Automatic Valve, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of our invention is to afford an absolute seal for an automatic valve of the type in which a leak port is provided, stopping movement of the valve at the same time that the leak passage through the valve is closed.

A further purpose of our invention is to avoid binding of the end of a dash pot cylinder upon the dash pot from expansion of the material of the dash pot.

A further purpose of our invention is to provide cushioning retardation for a valve at each end of its stroke by dash pot means.

A further purpose of our invention is to retain a valve seat in position during assemblage of the valve and steam fittings with which it is to be used and by which it is to be retained.

A further purpose of our invention is to make the stop by which movement of an automatic valve is controlled, effective also as a guide for the valve and for a dash pot piston upon it.

A vfurther purpose of our invention is to close a central longitudinal opening in a longitudinally movable valve member by a stem inserted from the side opposite to the main seat of the valve.

A further purpose of our invention is to supply a dash-potted valve with guides well spaced from the axis at each end of the movable member and with a central supplemental guide between the ends.

A further purpose of our invention is to provide for admission of fluid to both sides of a dash pot piston at an intermediate position of a double closure valve, cutting off this connection in proximity to each limit of movement of the valve and by reason of this movement.

A further purpose of our invention is to protect a boiler from excessive steam outlet by providing a valve in a steam pipe thereof with an auxiliary seat against which excessive flow of steam will seat the valve, and fluid cushioning the valve as it is about to seat at each end.

We have preferred to illustrate our invention by a form thereof which is simple, effective and relatively inexpensive and which at the same time well illustrates the principles of our invention.

The figure is a central longitudinal section of the preferred form of our invention with the gasket fastening turned through a quarter turn so that it is shown at the side.

The body of the valve, 1, which may ordinarily be of corrodible metal, is provided with inlet 2 and outlet 3, and with a seat 4 surrounding the inlet. rlhis seat is formed as a cylinder 5, usually of non-corrodible metal, flanged at 6 so that the fiange will rest within a recess 7 in the bottom of the body. During the assemblage of the valve and until the valves engagement with the fitting 8 by which this flange will be securely held in place, we retain the flange by means of screws 9 fiush with the outer face of the flange.

We show a drip l0 intended to be connected with any suitable trap for withdrawal of water of condensation. Ve also provide a closure l1 for the upper end of the opening in the valve body and a gland l2 adjusted by flange 13 and bolt 11i (turned a quarter turn, in order that the form of fastening may be evident), for tightening the packing lupon the combined guide, stop and valve spindle 16. Ve also show a yoke 17 supporting a nut 1S, removably secured by bolts 19, so that the thread 2O upon the spindle may be made effective to advance and retract the spindle by means of wheel 21.

The cover 11 is held in place by bolts 22 and it and the upper face 23 of the body of the valve are cooperatively formed to afford -a seat for the flange 24 upon the cylinder 25, also preferably of non-corrodible material, which performs dash pot cylinder service here.

Since the cylinder is held in place firmly between the valve body and cover, which have their outer surfaces cooled, and which, moreover, do not respond to changes of temperature as readily nor as much as the material of which the thinner cylinder is ordinarily formed, and in order to prevent undue sticking of the piston as it moves within the cylinder at this end, we slightly taper the upper part of the cylinder as at 26, though not to a great enough length to allow appreciable leakage past the piston when it is at this end of its stroke. i

The valve 27 is provided with wings or blades forming a spider, which blades engage with the interior surface of the cylinder 5 to guide the valve therein without unduly interfering with the flow of steam or other iuid therethrough. The valve is bored or hollowed, as at 28, to permit the passage of steam through the length of they valve. The bore 28 is enlarged at 29 in any suitable part of its length or within the hollow connecting stem to afford an auxiliary valve seat at 30 which may be lclosed by a valve 31 upon the spindle 16 when the latter is at the lower limit of its movement. The spindle is grooved, as at 32, to permit steam to pass the spindle when the latter is at its upper position, as shown, and to communicate, through groove 33, with the opening 34 into the lower part 35 of the dash pot cylinder, whatever the angular position of the spindle. The spindle acts as a lateral support and guidey for vthe valve, and particularly for the hollow stem of the valve. The valve is additionally guided and supported by the walls 36 upon the lower part of the cylinder. l

The upper part of the valve stem is threaded into the boss 37 of the dash pot piston 38 and is kept from turning thereon by pins 39. The piston is shown Aas water packed at 40 and water packing grooves are shown also at 41 between the spindle and the stem, since these have relative movement. The dash pot cylinder is provided with ports 42 and 43. The former permit a comparatively free exhaust of steam from the cylinder below the piston when the piston has passed this point. The latter permit steam to enter from the space 44 when the piston is in its lower position and allow exhaust of steam from the space above the piston until this port is covered by the piston in its upward movement. Beyond this point the steam in the cylinder is trapped and affords a cushion against further or sudden movement of the valve.

While the construction as thus far described is of great advantage, using but one main seat for the valve, our structure is also quite advantageous with two such seats. We therefore provide an additional seat for the valve, in some forms of our invention, lby

vmeans of a diaphragm 45, apertured at 46 i and having a seat upon its under side at 47 with which the upper part of the valve at 48 lcoperates to close this opening when the valve is in its uppermost position. In this use we get advantage from the cushion at the upper end of the travel ofthe piston after it passes the ports 43. The spindle 16 is provided with a. beveled surface 49 at a suitable point to engage with and seat against a correspondingly beveled surface 50 upon the cover 11 when the spindle is in its uppermost position, so that all pressure upon the packing 15 may be relieved when the'spindle 'is raised. When the spindle is in its uppermost position the manually operated auxiliary valve 31 is beyond the range of movement of the upwardly facing seat 30'and no hammering can take place b'etween them.

During normal operation we provide for constant steam connection between the boiler and the lower part of the dash pot cylinder, but when the manually operated auxiliary valve is closed, (as, for example, to permit a man to enter a boiler) all How of steam in either direction is stopped; that through the hollow stem by the closure of the auxiliary valve by reason of the spindle movement and that through the main valve opening by reason of the fact that the spindle holds the main valve down against its seat.

In operation the valve is connected between a boiler and a steam header, with the outlet toward the header. As long as the header pressure is greater than or even nearly equal to the boilerpressure the valve will remain closed, as the combined pressures of the header upon the top of the valve and upon the top of the piston (through ports 43) will be greater than the combined pressures of the boiler steam upon the smaller area ofthe bottom of the valve and (through the hollow of the valve and stem, the'grooves in the spindle and the leakage ports) upon the bottom of the piston. When the spindle is run down to its limit the valve will be mechanically held closed and at the same time even such slight leakage as might take place through'the center of the valve, past the spindle and past the piston will be positively cut off by the closing of the auxiliary valve in the hollow of the stem` or valve. When the spindle is raised and the pressure of the boiler steam increases,the valve will lift and will float between the two extremes untilthe header-and boiler pressures become equalized, permitting the valve to close, or until'such unusual flow of steam from the boiler into the header occurs (ordinarily representing some accident to the header) as will tend to throw the valve up against the seat in the diaphragm. This operation will be retarded by t-he compression of steam in the upper part of the cylinder after the piston passes the :ports 43, thus protecting the valve against injury,

phragm substantially while permitting the valve to close this diaphragm opening and stop the flow of steam until the damage can be repaired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to securi-y by Letters Patent is:

l. In an automatic valve, a valve body provided with a seat at one end and a diaparallel with said seat, said diaphragm being also provided with a seat, a hollow main valve coperating at opposite ends of its stroke with each seat, a hollow stem for said valve having its interior communicating with the opening in the valve and an auxiliary seat therebetween, a dash pot cylinder entered by said stem, a piston upon the stem and within the cylinder, the stem being apertured to provide leakage from its interior to the cylin" der in all positions of the piston and an axially movable combined guide and valve passing within the stem and adapted to cooperate with the auxiliary valve seat, the auxiliary valve being normally open when the main valve is closed.

2. In an automatic valve, a valve body provided with facing parallel seats, a hollow valve adapted to reciprocate between said seats, a hollow valve stem in communication with the hollow valve and provided with an auxiliary seat, a dash pot cylinder surrounding one end of the stem and apertured between its ends to provide leakage, a piston upon the stem adapted to trap fluid within the cylinder at each end of its stroke after the apertures of the cylinder are passed in its travel and a guide and stop for the stem entering the interior of the stem and provided with a valve cooperating with said auxiliary valve seat to control the flow through said hollow valve and stem.

3. In an automatic valve, a valve body provided with a seat, a hollow valve closing the seat, a hollow stem connected with the valve and laterally ported near the end opposite to the valve, a piston upon the valved end of the stem, and a cylinder surrounding the piston, ported in proximity to opposite ends to communicate with the interior of the valve body and having the cylinder end engaging the stem between the port of the stem and the valve.

4. In an automatic valve, a valve body having inlet and outlet openings, a valve seat about the inlet opening, a valve guided to move therein, a piston, a hollow stem connecting the valve and piston and ported in proximity to the piston between it and the valve and a cylinder having one end surrounding the hollow stem, close to the port, in the closed position of the valve and normally open to the outlet side of the valve in proximity to the other end.

5. In an automatic valve, a valve body having inlet and outlet openings, a valve in one of the openings, a stem attached to the valve, a piston upon the stem and a cylinder surrounding the piston and having one end surrounding the stem, connection being established between the cylinder and the interior of the valve body upon that side of the valve farthest from the cylinder, the ter minal of said connection within the cylinder being always open to the cylinder' and the cylinder being apertured to connect with the interior of the valve body between the cylinder and the valve at a point closed by the piston when the valve is in the closed position and opened by reason of movement of the valve and attached piston.

6. In an automatic valve, a valve body having inlet and outlet openings, a valve seat about one of the openings, a valve guided to move toward and from the seat, a piston connected with the valve and a cylinder having fluid connection with the valve body on the piston side of the valve in proximity to each end thereof and having in all positions of the valve fluid connection with the interior of the valve body upon that side of the valve farthest from the piston through a port on the valve side of the piston, moved with movement of the valve, one of the two first named connections with the valve body being adapted to be closed by the piston at the corresponding extremity of its stroke.

7. In an automatic valve, a valve body having inlet and outlet openings, a valve seat about one of the openings, a valve guided to move toward and from the seat, a piston connected with the valve, a cylinder having fluid connection with the valve body on the piston side of the valve in proximity to each end thereof and having uninterrupted fluid connection with the interior of the valve body upon that side of the valve farthest from the piston through a port on the valve side of the piston, moved with movement of the valve, one of the two first named connections with the valve body being adapted to be closed by the piston ai' the corresponding extremity of its stroke, an apertured diaphragm in the valve body and coperating seats upon the valve and about the aperture.

8. In an automatic valve, a body having inlet and outlet openings and an intermediate apertured diaphragm providing 'facing valve seats about the inlet opening and the aperture, a valve coperating at the eX- tremities of its movement with the two valve seats, a valve stem connected therewith, a piston upon the valve stem and a cylinder surrounding the piston and having one en surrounding the stem, fiuid connections being formed between the cylinder and the interior of the valve body upon both sides of the inlet opening when the valve is moved away from the seat about the inlet opening,

one of which connections is always open of the valve into proximity vwith the dia- While the other is closed by the piston When phragm. i

the valve seats about the inlet opening, and THOMAS M. EYNON. further fluid Connection being formed from JOHN V. SCHMID. the cylinder to the interior of the valve Vitnesses:

body at the farther end of said cylinder, J. CUSTER, which connection is Closed with movement T. E. SoI-IULTE.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, v

Washington, D. C. 

